The Ultimate Glee Fairytale Adventure
by mima1216
Summary: The Queen of the McKinley Kingdom, Sue Sylvester, has a secret, and now everyone is on the move to find out what it is. Also includes the romance of Prince Kurt/Prince Blaine, as well as Princess Rachel/Sir Finn, and many adventurous twists. AU
1. Once Upon a Time

**A/N: Hola amigos and amigas! :D**

**I _love _Glee fairytales. I find it hilarious to see the characters as royalty. And I can tell you I absolutely _love_ Klaine. So this is basically a Klaine centric fairytale. But for the sake of this being a _Glee_ fairytale and not just a Klaine fairytale, I've added many other pairings. There's TONS of Finchel, as well as Tike, Bartie, Pucktana, Wemma, and Quam. You'll also notice in this particular Prologue there is a mention of Belby. That's right; Burt and Shelby. But it's really not an important pairing. XD**

**The title is from lack of a better name, but it's very true. This is a very eventful story that I literally came up with in less than three seconds, so it's pretty much the Ultimate Glee Fairytale Adventure. :)**

**DISCLAIMR: I do not own Glee or any of its characters. I just own the plot, and nothing more.**

**Enjoy and review! :D

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**Once Upon a Time...**

Once upon a time, in a land far away from the modern world we all know, the world of high school drama and spontaneously singing show tunes , there was a remarkable kingdom known as McKinley. McKinley was the most pleasant kingdom in all the land, for it was the only kingdom with rulers generous enough to supply for all their citizens. There were no homeless peasants and there was no cruelty. The sky was never once dawned with clouds, for it was always so positively bright. It was truly a beautiful kingdom to live in.

The kingdom rejoiced the day the day King Burt and Queen Shelby's first son, Prince Kurt, was born, as they did again a year later for their daughter, Princess Rachel. Things couldn't be looking better for McKinley's future. But little did the residents of this joyful land know, off in the woods that lay outside their walls, there lived evil witches who would plot to destroy their cherished happiness.

One of the witches, who was known as Sue Sylvester, was the only one wicked and powerful enough to take action and attempt to take over the kingdom of McKinley. She put a curse of the Prince and Princess that would turn them evil as they grew older. The King and Queen begged her to life the curse, getting down on their knees and telling her they'd give anything. After a deadly deal, the curse was lifted, and Sue Sylvester ended up with a brand new kingdom, mountains of gold and jewelry, two children, a noble army, and two corpses to dispose of. The real King and Queen were wiped from the peoples' memories, and Queen Sylvester had the thrown.

Ever since then, McKinley lost it's cheery glow. Clouds formed in the sky, preventing the sun from shining and lifting spirits. The citizens were now heavily taxed for food, clothes, shelter, and education. The majority of townspeople became petty homeless peasants, forced to live in the street and hunt for scraps of food. Lots of freedom was ripped away as well. Any rude or embarrassing remark made about Queen Sylvester would earn you a death penalty. Speaking of the Prince or Princess would get you thrown in the dungeon. Singing in the streets would get you thrown into the for forbidden woods to be killed and eaten by the magical beasts that lurked there.

Prince Kurt and Princess Rachel, however, the new Queen had taken a different approach on. Queen Sylvester had an irrational fear of ending up alone. She was well aware that her children had dreams of traveling far away and exploring new land, and knew she had to do something so they would stay. She wanted to raise them so they would fear the land beyond the castle walls, not ever having a reason to want to leave. This would also prevent them from meeting others who they might fall in love with, for if they marry, the Queen would lose her power and have to hand it down to her heir. To get her power, you'd have to pry it from her cold, dead hands, which would never let go.

After Rachel's seventh birthday, the Queen hired a gang of trolls to sneak into her room and kidnap the girl right out of her bed. Rachel went missing for two days before Sue decided to have the guards retrieve her. The young girl came back traumatized. Queen Sylvester then had a very long, serious talk to both her children about the horrible, horrible people out there who meant them nothing but harm. She said when you're royalty, people always wanted to kidnap you for ransom cash. She the encouraged them never to go outside without a guard's guidance, and to be very aware that leaving the castle would end up putting their lives in jeopardy. The two young, naive children listened and let the words sink in.

But as they grew older, Sue felt them slipping away, staring out the window, dreaming about the outside world. When Kurt turned thirteen, she decided to repeat the lesson to remind them of Rachel's traumatic incident. She hired some hunters to sneak into the garden, kill the guard protecting Kurt, and take him. After a week, the Queen allowed the guards to find him. This time, they had beat him. The Queen welcomed the poor boy back with loving arms, reminding him about the dangers of the outdoors. He nodded.

But Queen Sylvester still felt them slipping. She even caught them singing sometimes, something she had feared immensely. She did it again, only they time they both vanished for a week and a half. But they were still slipping, the Queen could feel it. She did it again, and again, and again. This became a constant action. She did it to remind them of the horrors of the outdoors. And it worked.  
After about five months, both Kurt and Rachel were practically avoiding windows. Sue smiled at this. From the moment she noticed, she had the constant kidnapping stop. But she did hire a gang to sneak into the castle and either ruffle them up or take them for a couple days every once in a while. She felt it was only necessary to discipline them.

But the Prince and Princess still dreamed of the outdoors, no matter how much pain it brought them. They knew in their hearts that there were people out there that needed their help. They knew of the poor homeless people that lived in their kingdom, and wished they could do something about it. But their mother wouldn't let them outside the castle walls. There was nothing they could do.

Kurt and Rachel were near adulthood when they started reaching out to the needy in McKinley behind their mother's back. Sometimes they would sneak out of the castle incognito while the other covered for them, bringing along gold and food from the royal kitchen to give to the homeless. The poor greatly appreciated their kindness. Many people were able to feed their families and some were able to give the gold away to buy shelter. When Queen Sylvester began to notice something was up, the two teenagers decided to use a different method. Rachel reached out to McKinley's most noble knight, Sir Finn, for help. She asked him to give the gold and food to the needy while he was on patrol. Finn was hesitant at first, afraid of what the Queen might do to him, but he complied, for he was secretly in love with the Princess and would do anything for her.

From the experience of helping others, Kurt and Rachel learned that outside the castle walls, there were also good people. They would never say so to their mother, but no matter how many times they were threatened by the horrors that tried to harm them, they knew the world wasn't all that cruel. They longed for the day one of them would marry and take the thrown, so they could travel the world as they pleased. Although they loved their mother (They knew she only wanted to protect them), they longed for the day she would no longer be in charge of their lives.

But they are yet to discover the dark truth that Queen Sue Sylvester has kept hidden for so many years.

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**A/N: There's the introduction. Pretty much sums up the situation. Hope you like what I did with the characters so far. If you do, tell me so. It's great motivation for faster updates. I'll post Chapter 1 today or tomorrow depending on just how many reviews I get! :D**

**NEXT TIME: **_Sir Finn catches Princess Rachel in the library singing to her bird, which only causes him to fall more in love with her. Queen Sylvester is visited by a royal family from another kingdom with a kind offer, but she is not happy about it. And Prince Kurt makes some kinky eye contact with another Prince._

**Reviews = love! Criticism = love! Flames = love! (I have enough love for everyone out there! XD)**

**~Mima Roses**


	2. Queen Sue vs King Shue

**A/N: Allo once again!**

**I tried to put some Klaine into this chapter, but all I could do was add a few flirtatious glances/"kinky eye contact". For the first encounter, I personally think that alone is enough for now. I added a LOT of Finchel, which I know many people will be happy with. XD**

**IMPORTANT: I forgot to mention this earlier, but Rachel is EXTREMELY OOC in this story. She is no longer a bitchy princess about everything. Now, she's a _friendly_ princess about everything. I just couldn't stand writing about the horrors of Rachel in general, so I decided to change her terrible personality, but keep her voice and pairing with Finn. I just thought you'd like the know before you read it and go, "WTF? DOES THIS IDIOT NOT KNOW WHO RACHEL BERRY IS?" I do, I just hate her so much I refuse to write her right. XD**

**Speaking of Rachel's voice, this chapter features the song "Green Finch and Linnet Bird" from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I just added that scene because I had a fantasy about it while listening to the song. I also think it fits her situation. And YAY for Pavarotti! Even though he's kind of a useless bird in the show! XD (Seriously, you get a new Glee Club member, and you're just like, "Welcome to our club! Here's a random BIRD for you to take care of and create more of a burden in your life! We're not creepy robots at all!")**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Glee or any of its characters. Nor do I own the song "Green Finch and Linnet Bird" or Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.**

**Enjoy and review, yes? :)

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**Queen Sue vs. King Shue**

The royal library was a dim place, as every area on the castle grounds seemed to be. Princess Rachel stood in the center, imagining what it would be like to see the rays of the sun pouring in from the large, stain glass windows. She wished she could see more color around her, but she mostly saw gray. It was depressing.

She had been outside McKinley plenty of times, either under he mother's supervision or being dragged out there by her kidnappers. She remembered looking around and seeing more color than she'd ever known. She didn't recognize that color in the castle, nor did she see it anywhere in McKinley. She secretly wished a gang of trolls would bust through the window and carry her away, just so she could see the colors again. The blue sky, the green grass, the fluffy white clouds, the bright neon colors that the flowers gave off in the fields...

Rachel had a garden in the castle where she would pass the time growing flowers, but they weren't even compared to the beautiful flowers she saw outside McKinley.

She heard a chirp from the corner of the room. She turned to face her beloved warbler bird, Pavarotti. The little bird was singing a tune that Rachel knew all too well. She had sang it to him many times when she felt alone. She approached the cage, kneeling down next to the hyper creature. She stuck her finger between the bars, a smile creepy onto her lips as Pavarotti perched himself onto her. The bird looked up at her with it's small, black eyes, tilting his head as if he expected her to start singing to him. Rachel giggled, and complied.

_Green finch and linnet bird  
Nightingale, black bird  
How is it you sing?  
How can you jubilate  
Sitting in cages  
Never taking wing?_

Pavarotti chirped along, flapping his tiny wings to cheer her on. Rachel carried on, laughing at the creature's excitement.

_Outside the sky waits beckoning, beckoning!  
Just beyond the bars  
How can you remain  
Staring at the rain  
Maddened by the stars?_

In the hallway beyond the closed doors, Sir Finn happened to be passing by. He had been ordered to find the Princess and bring her to the Thrown Room immediately. He had been searching for almost half an hour before he stopped at the sound of a beautiful high note that came from behind the library doors. He turned to face them, mesmerized by the stunning voice and the faint chirping or a bird.

_How is it you sing anything?  
How is it you sing?_

Finn approached the doors with caution, afraid of disturbing whoever had been singing. He slowly reached for the handle, trying not to make a sound as he turned it and pushed carefully on the heavy wood. He peered inside. As soon as he did, out of the corner of his eye he recognized Princess Rachel kneeling by a cage, a bird perched on her finger. She was singing blissfully to the bird, who was excitedly singing along.

_My cage has many rooms  
Damask and dark  
Nothing there sings  
Not even my lark  
Larks never will, you know  
When their captive  
Teach me to be more adaptive  
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ahhhh_

Finn's jaw dropped at the Princess's breath taking voice. He had been in love with this gorgeous girl ever since he first rescued her from a coven of witches in the woods. Now, listening to her captivating voice for the first time, he was only falling more in love. It was painful not to be able to just approach her and kiss her. But he knew if he did so, he would be burned on a stake by the Queen. He hated every minute he couldn't spend with her, and this experience only made it harder for him to stay away.

But, of course, he had to keep his ground. For as long as he could hold it. He knew he had to wait for her. And he would, forever if that's what it took.

_Green finch and linnet bird  
Nightingale, black bird  
Teach me how to sing  
If I can not fly  
Let me sing..._

As her last note faded off, Pavarotti began to cheer. He let out a series of hyper chirps and flapping his wings around in excitement. Rachel continued to giggle at his enthusiasm. Pavarotti was the one thing that could really cheer her up when she needed it.

Finn waited at the door for a moment before he collected the strength to interrupt. When he was able to find his voice, he stepped forward. "Um... Princess?"

Rachel gasped and spun her head around, clearly startled. Pavarotti left his place on her finger and flew around the cage. Rachel stood. "Oh, Sir Finn." She greeted quickly, blushing a little. She hoped he hadn't heard her singing. She would get in loads of trouble if her mother found out.

Finn cleared his throat, obviously nervous. He couldn't hold his thoughts in for long, and accidentally let "That was a beautiful song you sang just now..." slip from his lips. He almost covered his mouth as he saw the Princess's eyes widen in horror.

"Oh no! Please, Finn, don't tell Mother! She'll ground me for months!" Rachel begged desperately.

Finn shook his head wildly. "Oh, um, of course not! I didn't... I didn't plan on telling her." He flushed deeply. "You... You have a very... Um... You have a remarkable voice." He stuttered awkwardly, looking down. He probably shouldn't have brought it up in the first place. _Stupid..._

There was a moment of silence. But it wasn't an awkward silence, Finn soon realized. He looked up to see that Rachel, rather than staring at him in confusion, was smiling at him. He nearly lost is balance at the sight of her smile. It made her glow is a remarkable, irresistible way.

"Thank you," she said with a small curtsy. Finn felt his face about to go up in flames. He had almost forgotten why he was in the library in the first place.

"Oh! I- um- Princess Rachel, I was sent by your mother to bring you to the Thrown Room. Your mother and brother are waiting there for you. Apparently, another royal family has arrived at the castle to speak with the Queen. You must be present."

Rachel's smile was replaced with curiosity. They had never had another royal family visit their castle. No one had dared to encounter someone as terrifying as Queen Sylvester. But she nodded anyway. "Of course. Lead the way."

After Rachel covered Pavarotti's cage to let him sleep, Finn lead her out of the library and down the hall. It, once again, took all of Finn's power to keep from holding her small figure, claiming her as his.

He reminded himself to wait. But he knew it wouldn't hold him back for much longer. Fortunately, he was able to keep a safe distance from her until they made it to the Thrown Room.

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"Queen Sylvester of the McKinley kingdom," said a messenger that was unfamiliar to the Queen and her children. "I'd like to present King William Shuester, Queen Emma, and Prince Blaine, all the way from the Dalton Kingdom." He stepped to the side as the large, silver doors opened to reveal three figures entering the Thrown Room. Queen Sylvester's eyes instantly narrowed at the sight of them.

She recognized King Shuester from the Royal Meeting that took place every year between the rulers of every kingdom in the land of Ohio. The King of Dalton was known for his generosity. But all Sue saw in him was a man with horrifyingly curly hair and a butt chin who spoke nonsense of hopes and dreams coming true. She felt like she wanted to throw up on him every time she looked at him.

To his left was a beady-eyed, red headed woman who had to be Queen Emma. Sue also remembered her from the meeting. The OCD freakazoid had been scrubbing off every smudge she spotted on the windows during the meeting, and wouldn't sit down in the seat assigned to her without making sure it was completely sterilized. Sue was more than a little disturbed by her insane mental illness, and wondered what a maid would be doing ruling a kingdom.

To Shuester's right was a handsome young man with dark, gelled hair, tan skin, and hazel eyes. Queen Sylvester had never met the King and Queen of Dalton's son, but she had heard them brag of him often at the meetings. They ranted on about how he was a noble young Prince who was skilled in combat as well as music. She was also aware of his homosexuality. She glanced at her son and back to the Dalton Prince to make sure they weren't looking at each other.

They were.

She could see Prince Blaine's eyes move _directly _to him as soon as the doors were opened. She could she the smile that formed on his face once their eyes met. Prince Kurt, who had been resting his chin on his propped up elbow, slowly sat up straight, smiling a bit as well. He wasn't paying attention to the warning glares his mother shot at him. There was nothing Queen Sylvester could do to stop it.

_This may or may not become a problem..._ She thought as she turned to face the visitors again.

When the three of them reached the steps to the thrown, they bowed in respect. Sue's vicious glare didn't change. "What do you want, Shuester?" She hissed.

King Will payed to attention to the venom in her tone as he stood with his family to speak. "Queen Sylvester, I'm sorry for arriving unannounced, but I've come with a serious offer that I believe will help McKinley a great deal."

Sue raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. The King continued. "I'm aware your people have been struggling ever since the clouds rolled in and blocked the sun. I've also heard of the many dangers the Prince and Princess have been threatened with over the past ten years or so. I know you're rather skeptical when offered help, but I fear McKinley will suffer if not aided. I'm offering you a partnership with Dalton. We'd like to help McKinley get back on it's feet so it can live in peace once again, even if nothing can be done about the clouds. We'll offer the citizens gold so they are able to pay their taxes for their needs, and you will be able to collect enough gold to train your knights and hold off those who threaten the Prince and Princess's lives. We'll also offer their protection with our professional guards until your knights are prepared to take over. In return, you can help us fight off the trolls that roam the woods outside our kingdom walls. They've been causing many problems for our people. That is the small favor I ask of you if we partner up."

Queen Sylvester was surprised by the offer. She had never been presented with that kind of help before. Not that she ever wanted it. The truth was, Sue had all the money she needed to help her kingdom, train her army, and keep her children safe. She even had the power to evacuate the clouds if she wanted to. She just _chose _not to do anything. She liked her power and the money she gained from it. She liked the darkness, and she liked how people feared her. There was no way she was going to let this chia-pet-headed butt face take that away from her. And not only that, but she _liked _the trolls. She wasn't going to drive them away from their natural habitat just so King Shuester's stupid kingdom could live in peace. It wasn't like she cared.

She looked down at them with a pity glare. "Shuester, I don't see this partnership between our kingdoms working out. I fear that all the harmful product you and your hobbit son use to perm your hair will cause a plague among my already suffering people. I can already see the fumes burning down a forest of elves. Plus, I'm pretty sure your bug-eyed bride if already planning to scrub this place to the nub, and I don't want to encourage her mental illness to worsen with more space to clean."

The King and Queen's polite smiles faded. Emma looked down, and Will placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. He was about to protest, but Prince Blaine stepped forward to interrupt. "May I speak, Father?" The King looked at his son, then nodded. Blaine turned to the three rulers of McKinley, giving them a warm smile. "We understand your concerns, Your Highness. Maybe you could negotiate those concerns privately with my father tomorrow night. We're hosting a ball in celebration of my mother's birthday, and we'd be honored if you, Prince Kurt, and Princess Rachel were to attend and discuss this with my father in a separate room. How does that sound?" Sue noticed his gaze wander to Kurt, who appeared excited by the idea. Rachel did as well.

"I'm sorry, but we'll be busy tomorrow night. And the next night. And every night after that." Sue stated rudely. She wasn't going to waste her time _negotiating _with anyone about _her _kingdom. "Now, if you'll be so kind as to leave so I can have my maids clear this room of all the fumes your hair has unleashed. I don't want to be the first to catch a pandemic disease."

"Mother, if I may, we actually don't have plans tomorrow night." Rachel corrected her. "And a ball sounds like something we'd really enjoy. We've never been to one before."

"I agree," Kurt backed his sister up when he saw the Queen had shot her a disapproving glare. "And this partnership is something our kingdom really needs. Our people are starving, and Rachel and I don't feel safe at all. If you can't come to terms with this offer, than things will only get worse. The ball would be a perfect time and place to discuss it."

Queen Sylvester let out a deep sigh. "Do I have to remind you two that going outside the castle walls isn't safe for either of you? Do you know how much danger you'd both be in if you were vulnerable out there? We've already had enough trouble inside the castle, it would only be worse to take you out in the open."

"We can offer you a safe voyage," Queen Emma suggested. "Dalton isn't so far away from McKinley, so it won't be long. We'll send you a secure coach and have our professional guard protect you on the way. It will be completely safe for you."

"And you have our word, if anything does happen, we will take responsibility for paying ransom." King William added. "We don't want to see anything happen to the Prince or Princess."

Kurt and Rachel looked at their mother with pleading eyes. It was obvious just how much they wanted to go. Sue only shook her head. "No. I don't like you, William Shuester. There, I said it. I hate the way you're hair curls like there's a bunch of pig tails stuck on your head, and I hate how every time I see you I have this irrational fear that a fly is going to get stuck in the crack of your butt chin and I'm going to have to look at it suffer there while you try to negotiate a partnership with me. It's ridiculous. I don't want to negotiate with anyone like you. You never stop talking about hopes and bright futures that will never truly happen, and it makes me want to vomit rainbows. I can't put up with that every day, and I don't want that kind of disgusting crap rubbing off on my kids. I refuse your offer, and I want you out of my castle."

_"Mother!"_ Kurt stood, narrowing his eyes as he raised his voice. "Please, with all do respect, these people are reaching out to us and offering us a chance to make everything better. King Shuester is a kind man who only wants to help, and you may not like the way he looks or how he actually thinks in a positive way, but this is what we _need._ As rulers of a kingdom, we have to think about what's best for the people, not for ourselves. I understand your not happy with this, but if you would only talk about this with King Shuester at the ball tomorrow night, you could come to some sort of agreement. _Please_, at least do that for us."

Queen Sylvester looked up at her son, then at Rachel, who nodded in agreement. "Just talk with him, please?" She whispered softly.

The Queen glared down at Will, who was staring at her with a confused expression. She was going to regret this, but if she rejected it, she knew would never hear the end of it. "Alright, King Shuester, I accept your invitation. I'll speak with you about your offer privately. But don't expect me to comply easily." She stood from her thrown. "Now go back to your own kingdom and continue to paint rainbows in the sky or whatever creepy weird things you freaks do in Optimist Town. I need to relax in my jacuzzi to clear my head of the smell that is hair gel and margarine."

The King only smiled at the insult and bowed politely. "You can expect a coach and a group of knights to come pick you up tomorrow night. See you soon, Queen Sylvester. You as well, Prince Kurt and Princess Rachel. Stay safe."

"Same to you," Rachel beamed at him. "Thank you so much, by the way. My brother and I greatly appreciate your time."

"You're very welcome, Princess." Will smiled at her. He wondered how such lovely children could be brought up by such a rude woman as Queen Sue Sylvester.

The royal family of Dalton were then lead out of the Thrown Room by the guards. Queen Sylvester didn't hesitate to storm out and head for her master bathroom to start up the jacuzzi. That left Kurt and Rachel alone to talk.

"I don't understand why she wouldn't want to take an opportunity like this," Rachel said, "He's such a nice man. It doesn't make sense."

Kurt looked out the window for a minute up at the dark clouds that covered McKinley. He then turned to face his sister. "If I ask you something, would you answer as honestly as you possibly could? It's an uncomfortable question."

Rachel bit her lip, but nodded.

"Do you think Mother is hiding something?"

"... Yes. I do."

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"Queen Sylvester is definitely hiding something," Will told his wife and son once they had piled themselves back into their coach and left McKinley. "It's like she doesn't want her kingdom to be helped, or the Prince and Princess to be safe. But why?"

"Maybe she's just naturally selfish, she doesn't have to be hiding something," Emma suggested, "I've heard of Kings and Queens who only care about the power and wealth they possess as a royal figure to their kingdom. I'm sure Sylvester is just one of them."

"I agree with you, but it feels like she's trying to keep something from us," Will continued, "And from her children. And that secret of her's is keeping the people of McKinley starving and on the hunt for scraps of food. We have to figure out what it is so we can help them."

"I'll lead the coach to McKinley tomorrow if you'd like," Blaine volunteered, "I'll look around the castle to see if there's anything suspicious going on before we leave. If she's hiding anything, there's bound to be some kind of clue somewhere on the castle grounds."

Will nodded. "We'll try that. If you don't find anything, I'll try and figure it out when we negotiate the partnership. We should also keep and eye on Prince Kurt and Princess Rachel. I don't think the Queen cares about them as much as she claims to."

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**A/N: Wow, I've never really written six pages of chapter before... Yay for longness! :D**

**Phew! I was _so _worried I wouldn't be good at writing Sue! It's hard to come up with insults as clever as her's. But once you get the hang of it, it kind of comes naturally, I guess. I think I focused too much on Will's butt chin, though... I dunno, what do you guys think?**

**My next update will either be before or on Wednesday, because that's the day I fly down to St. Thomas for a SUPER long weekend. Yay vacation! :D I can't wait... So, yeah, if I don't update by then, don't expect and update until, like, after the weekend. But I will do my best to update in time, because I have chapter 2 done and all I need to do is edit it. Have no fear! XD**

**NEXT TIME: **_Prince __Kurt encounters a monstrosity. Princess Rachel has trouble getting ready for the ball, so her brother helps her. Sir Puckerman get's pwned. Sir Finn makes a promise to a friend. Pavarotti takes a trip. And Finn loses his ability to speak._

**Like? Dislike? Criticism? Review? Yes? Thank you! ^-^**

**~Mima Roses**


	3. Pants, Promises, and Pretty Princesses

**A/N: Good whatever time of day it is to you all!**

**This chapter has a LOT of Finn in it. I bet some of you are kind of pissed by the lack of Klaine I promised, but I swear it's coming up... It just takes a few chapters. It will be the main aspect of the plot in a little bit, I promise. :)**

**And in this chapter we bring in... ARTIE! YAY ARTIE! :D We all wuv him. And Puck. We all wuv Puck. ^-^ (Also, if you're confused about Finn's horse, both horses are named after Finn and Puck's name ideas for Quinn's baby.)**

**Also, just so you guys know, there was a song in the last chapter, but there won't be that much music involved in general. There may be a bit in the future, but I only added that because the idea just popped into my mind and I wanted to see Finn go a little crazy. XD**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Glee or any of it's characters. If I did, there would be NO HIATUS! DX DX DX And Klaine would have already happened. :)**

**Enjoy! :D

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**Pants, Promises, and Pretty Princesses**

"Knock, knock!"

Rachel frantically finished zipping up her dress. "Um... Okay, it's open!" She called as she finished.

The door opened and Kurt stepped in, his palm covering his eyes. He closed the door behind him. "I don't want to open my eyes until you can guarantee me that I'm going to approve of what I see."

Rachel turned towards the mirror that hung on the wall. She examined the pink frilly dress for a moment. The truth was, she didn't like what she saw herself. Her dress was short, strapless, and impossibly frilly. There was a large purple rose that was stuck between her breasts, and the rest of a dress was a mixture of purple, blue, and pink. To top it off, she was wearing turquoise high heels. She looked like a circus ballerina. But it was the only dress she could find, for her mother didn't think there was much need for fancy dresses. They never really went out much for get togethers, let alone balls.

Kurt frowned at Rachel's silence and removed his hand from his eyes. From the instant his eyes met the fashion disaster that was his little sister's dress, his jaw dropped in horror. He suddenly understood what it felt like to want to vomit rainbows, much like his mother said she did around King Shuester. He pointed at the dress accusingly. "Rachel, that is the most terrifying article of clothing I've ever had the displeasure of laying my eyes on. Take it off before I go color blind."

Before she knew it, the dress was on the ground and Rachel was standing in the middle of the room in her strapless bra and panties. She wasn't embarrassed to be in her underwear in front of Kurt, for one, he was gay anyway, and two, he was her brother. But she did turn red at the fact that the dress she chose was _that_ monstrous to him.

Kurt picked up the dress and tossed it onto the bed. "Tomorrow we can set up a bonfire and burn that beast." He declared. He then turned to his sister, and his expression softened. "Don't you have anything better? I know you know better than to pick that over all the other dresses you own."

Rachel shrugged. "Honestly, I don't have that much that would be appropriate for a ball."

"What are you talking about?" Kurt approached her closet and opened it, searching through the countless dresses that hung from the racks. "You have plenty of nice things that would be perfect for a ball. You'd look very cute in this, for example." He pulled out a sparkly green ball gown with an amber jewel on the chest. "I know it's simple, but compared to that piece of monstrosity, you'd look adorable."

Rachel rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "That's just it... I don't really _want _to look adorable. Or cute."

Kurt stared at her, waiting for her to explain. Rachel sighed and blushed deeply. "I... I don't want to look cute, I want to look _hot._" She looked down. "But also appropriate... For a ball..."

Her brother blinked at her. He had never heard her say something like that before. But he understood. He hung the green dress back up in Rachel's closet and shut the door. "I get it," he smiled at her. "You wanted to feel older, right? Like you're not stuck in a castle all your life and you have control of yourself?"

Rachel nodded, then sighed. "But, of course, I have nothing that will help me. I went to Quinn to see if she could sew something up for me real quick, but apparently she and Sir Sam are away on vacation for the week. I found that dress in one of her closets..."

Kurt looked over at the piece of horror on the bed, then back at Rachel. He grinned. "Have no fear, Rachel! I have a solution that will work out of the both of us!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the stables, Sir Finn was unlocking the gate to Drizzle's stall. Drizzle was a beautiful brown horse with a raven black mane, and legs that could pump up to practically one-hundred miles per hour. Finn was very lucky to have her. He had thought of the name himself, since he loved it when the rain would drizzle from the sky softly rather than pulverize the ground in a heavy storm like it sometimes did when it rained. He thought it was a pretty name for a pretty horse, and was proud of himself for coming up with it.

It was his turn to patrol for the day. Sir Sam had taken his girlfriend, who was also the royal tailor, on a vacation for the week, so Finn was taking his shift. In the stall next to Drizzle's, Sir Puckerman, Finn's best friend, was practically shoving his horse, Beth, into her stall. He was never really gentle when it came to animals.

"Dude, you really shouldn't kick her like that." Finn commented as he gently took Drizzle's reins, carefully leading her out of her stall.

Puck rolled his eyes. "You're soft. This horse needs to be taught it can't win against Puckzilla, the Ambadassador of the McKinley knights. If I say it's done for the day, it's done for- OOF!" The Ambadassador of the McKinley knights didn't get to finish before Beth promptly jabbed him in the stomach with her left hoof. Puck doubled over in pain, landing on the wooden floor, trying to inhale. Finn reached down and grabbed his friend's arm, helping him up. "You okay, man?" He asked.

Puck nodded awkwardly. "Well... I can't say I'm not proud of her. That was a good hard kick to the gut."

"I'll say. That was like an epic horse pwnage." Finn glanced over at Beth, who was watching with a nonchalant gaze. He gave Puck a pat on a shoulder. "You go lie down. I'll get Beth in her stall for you."

Puck shook his head. "Come on, man, I'm not that- _OW!_ Okay, I can't stand up straight... But I think- _OH GEEZ!_ Alright, never mind, I'm going. You take care of it." He limped away, mumbling to himself.

Finn could only laugh as Puck closed the stable door on his way out. He then took Beth's reins and gently backed her into her stall, securing the gate and locking it. He made sure her reins were tied, and he fed her an apple before turning back to Drizzle, who was waiting patiently beside him. Once he had strapped a saddle onto her back, he lead his horse to the doors and opened them. The clouds, of course, prevented the sunlight from entering the stable. Finn, being McKinley's most noble knight, had been outside the kingdom's walls countless time. He, unlike many others, knew what the sun felt like. It was warm and bright, and gave of rays of energy and hope. It made colors more radiant and paths completely clear. He always wondered why the sun would never shine down on McKinley like it did the rest of the land.

He closed the stable doors behind him and led Drizzle to the gate, mounting himself on top of her. He clutched her reins and ordered her to move forward. He rode Drizzle through the castle gardens and to the gates. They opened for him, and he was soon dashing down the path that led to the kingdom's village.

Finn had Drizzle stop at the end of the path. He let out a deep breath. He knew he was about to pass many poor, homeless peasants that lived in the streets. Sometimes he witnessed disturbing things among them, such as people dying of starvation and families without any clothing. It hadn't been as bad after the Prince and Princess began to send them some much needed gold behind the Queen's back, but there were still many people who lived without a home. Finn tried to help as many as he could with the gold Princess Rachel would snag for him to give on patrol, but there wasn't always enough to go around. Rachel was afraid that if she took to much, her mother would notice.

After he finished mentally preparing himself, he carried on into the village. There were many people walking among the stone road. McKinley was still a highly populated area. Finn saw many of the lucky ones who were able to pay their taxes and work hard to keep what they had. But along the side of the road, many families dressed in dirty rags sat holding each other for warmth, as well as some lonely men and women. Finn tried not to stare at them as he proceeded with his patrol.

"Sir Finn!"

Finn stopped and turned around. "Oh, hello, Artie! How are you feeling today?"

Artie Abrams rolled up in his wheelchair next to Finn and Drizzle. He was a good friend of the noble knight's, for he used to be a poor, paralyzed, homeless, orphan boy living in the streets, until Finn offered to pay for his rent at a small inn. Finn thought it was bad enough being an orphan and homeless, but to be in a wheelchair as well? That just wasn't fair.

"Physically, I'm feeling better than I did yesterday," Artie replied with a frown. "But emotionally... Not so good."

Finn swung his right leg over and hopped off Drizzle, kneeling down to the invalid's level. "Why? What happened?"

Artie sighed. "Tina dumped me for that hot-shot Sir Mike Chang..."

Finn's jaw dropped in shock. "What? Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Artie muttered angrily, "That guy can _fight._ And he has abs of steel. He saved her from some mugger guy who was trying to steal the money we were going to use to buy a fresh loaf of bread, and apparently it was love at first sight. She even _gave _him the money as a sign of gratitude. I can't stand it! I lose my woman _and _a chance to finally eat something other than chicken soup for dinner. It's not fair..."

This confused Finn. He never thought Tina was the type who would dump Artie for a guy with better body structure. He had pictured her the type to love what's on the inside. Artie had a lot of awesome, lovable traits. He found it hard to believe he could be the dumpee of a relationship, especially with someone like Tina. Things change pretty fast, don't they? Like when the clouds came in all those years ago to block the sun...

He gave Artie a warm pat on the shoulder. "Come on, man, I'll buy you a loaf to make up for it."

Artie looked up at the knight and nodded. Finn then got up onto his feet, tied Drizzle's reins to the right arm of Artie's chair, and helped wheel him over to the bread shop. He bought the boy a fresh loaf of bread, and Artie didn't hesitate to eat away his sorrows. Finn helped wheel him over to a bench on the side of the stone walk way and sat down next to him. It was silent for a few moments before Artie spoke.

"Do you think maybe I could become a knight?" He asked.

Finn was startled by this question. He knew he was going to have to deny it, for the Queen would never let an handicapped boy join the guard, but he knew why Artie was asking, and it nearly broke his heart that he had to tell him so. "Sorry, man... No offense, but I really don't see that happening."

Artie pressed his lips together, deep in thought. "I know it's because I can't feel my legs, but what if I'm good with a sword? I mean, picture me fighting off a troll with one hand and controlling my foot work with the other hand on my left wheel. I'm ambidextrous, you know. My right arm is just as strong as my left arm. It wouldn't be too hard for me."

"Well... You have a point, but Artie, in all seriousness, I don't think they'd _let_ you in. Especially if Queen Sylvester found out one of her knights couldn't walk, it wouldn't really work out." Finn gave him a sympathetic look, but in the back of his mind, he was picturing how _awesome_ it would be to see Artie fight a troll like that.

"What if I did something really heroic?" Artie suggested, "Like saving Princess Rachel? Or even Prince Kurt? Most of the guard earned their place by proving themselves like that. That's how Mike Chang got the job. I could prove myself to be just as good as him... Then maybe Tina will come back..." He looked down at him legs, and didn't move. But Finn could see it in the boy's eyes. He was trying to feel his legs. To _move _them, even twitch them the slightest.

But nothing happened.

If there was ever a time Finn felt more guilty than he did now, he probably forgot about it. He felt horrible that Artie had to live with the fact that he would probably never live up to Sir Mike's standards, which his girlfriend obviously preferred. He wanted desperately to see Artie magically get out of his chair and run up and down the path, to see him _smile _about something, but obviously not enough pixie dust in the world could make that happen. It killed him.

He knew he was going to catch Hell for doing this.

"Artie, look at me." Finn placed a firm hand on the boy's shoulder, who looked up at him curiously. "You're strong willed, Artie, and that's a trait every true knight possesses. You _deserve_ to make it into the guard. I'm going to give you my absolute word. Knight's honor. I'm going to make sure you're a knight one day. I promise."

Finn got what he wished for. Artie beamed for the first time in a while. After being abandoned by both his late parents and the love of his life, getting trampled by a horse and losing his legs, and being cast out into the streets for half his life, Finn finally saw his friend had hope. Unfortunately, he couldn't help but feel worse for making such an impossible promise. He had gotten the discouraged boy's hopes up a little to high. Yup, he was definitely going to Hell.

By the time Finn had to carry on his patrol and drop Artie off at the inn for the evening, knowing he couldn't take it back was still killing him on the inside. Even for a famously noble knight, Sir Finn knew how stupid he was sometimes, but only a complete _jackass _would build up the hopes of an invalid boy just knowing they'd crash and burn later on. He didn't know if he could forgive himself.

Around the end of Finn's patrol, as he was about to reach the beginning of the path that lead back up to the castle, he was once again called for. "Sir Finn! Hold up, white boy!"

Finn turned around to see Mercedes Jones racing up to him, a very large bag held over her shoulder, one that tailors preserved valuable dresses in so they wouldn't get dirty, Finn remembered. Finn knew Mercedes as one of the good friend's Prince Kurt made when he used to sneak out of the castle to give out gold to the homeless. Now, under the constant watch of his mother, he wasn't able to do that anymore, and neither was his sister.

Mercedes stopped next to Finn and Drizzle, holding up the preserved dress to Finn. "Kurt sent me a message asking me to get this for the Princess and give it to you so you could bring it to the castle. It's a very delegate silk dress, so if you wrinkle it, I'll cut you. Got it?"

Finn nodded quickly. "Don't worry, Ms. Jones, I'll be extremely gentle." He reached down and took the hanger that stuck out of the bag, hooking it onto a strap on Drizzle's saddle. "Is that all?" He asked.

"Wait, don't forget Pavarotti," Mercedes reached into her bag and pulled out the little warbler, who stretched his wings and shook his feathers. After a moment of getting used to not being cramped in a confined space, he quickly flew up to perch himself atop Sir Finn's shoulder, settling himself there for the ride. He planned on doing nothing but relax in his cage after a long flight to deliver a message.

Finn, who still wasn't used to the idea of this bird being so disturbingly smart, nodded awkwardly to Mercedes. "Of course not. Thank you, I'll be sure to get it to the Princess when I get up to the castle."

"You better." That was the last thing Mercedes said before she turned and left. Finn let out a sigh of relief. He couldn't help but feel a little more than afraid of that woman.

In no time, Sir Finn had made it up to the stables and had carefully settled Drizzle into her stall, switching patrol duties with Sir Brad. He carefully took the dress for Princess Rachel and proceeded to bring it into the castle. He only stopped for a moment to wonder why the Princess needed this dress, anyway.

* * *

Prince Kurt threw his arms up as the door opened. "Finally! I was beginning to think you'd never get here! You didn't wrinkle the dress, did you?"

"Um... I don't think so?" Sir Finn tried awkwardly. He had actually caught himself dragging the bag carelessly along the castle floor a couple of times by accident on his way to the Princess's room, and frantically stopped to try and smooth it out every time, afraid he'd ruined it. But he wasn't going to tell the Prince that. He'd just have to hope and pray he didn't screw things up this time, like he'd done with Artie.

Kurt didn't look happy with the knight's response. "You better hope you didn't. My sister needs that dress for tonight, and I don't have time to have Mercedes get me another."

Finn bit his lip as he looked around the room. "Where is Princess Rachel, anyway? Should I just give this to her?"

Kurt approached Finn and quickly snatched the dress away from him. "She's in the bathroom. And _no_, you can't give this to her, she's in her underwear." He turned around and rushed for the bathroom door, disappearing behind it. Finn was lucky the Prince hadn't stuck around to see his face turn tomato red at the thought of the Princess in her underwear. What the hell? What was he doing? He shouldn't even be _thinking_ about the Princess in the underwear! It was completely wrong and violating! It was a sick and stupid thing to do! It was so... so...

Why did his pants suddenly feel uncomfortably tight?

The urge to leave came over the embarrassed knight, and he turned for the door just as Prince Kurt re-entered the room. "Where do you think you're going?"

Horror struck Finn as his first thought was, _No! I ruined the dress! I'm so dead! _He turned around slowly, expecting to see the Prince glaring at him with infuriated eyes. But instead Kurt was simply looking at him with one eyebrow raised above the other. "Um... I'm sorry, Your Highness, I thought you wanted me gone so the Princess could get into her clothes..." _And not be practically naked in the other room... _He added mentally.

"No, no, you have to stay!" Kurt ran up to him and grabbed his arm, pulling him towards a fancy purple chair near the bathroom door. "Rachel needs a handsome boy to tell her how fabulous she looks when she's all done." He forced Finn to sit in the chair and grabbed a can of hair spray off of the burrow before racing back into the bathroom. Finn just sat there, staring at the door. He hoped the Princess was at least done putting on her clothes. The good news was, his pants didn't feel as tight. That made the red in his face tone down a bit.

After a while, just as Sir Finn was on the bridge of utter boredom, the bathroom door opened and Kurt stepped out once again. "Sir Finn, I'd like to present to you the stunning, mature, _fabulous _Princess Rachel Barbara Sylvester."

Sir Finn's eyes bulged. So much for his pants getting looser.

Princess Rachel was wearing a stunning strapless red silk gown with small jewels lining the top. The top half of the dress met her skinny figure perfectly, as well as the shape of her breasts (not helping Finn feel any better), and the bottom half consisted of wavy layers that ended only three millimeters away from the floor. Her lips were bright red to match the dress, and he hair had been curled and brushed to make it slightly wavy. It was the simple touch that made her appear absolutely radiant.

Rachel smiled, amused at the noble knight's loss for words. He almost didn't notice that he was stuttering like an idiot, completely captivated. Kurt walked up behind his sister and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Look at that, Rachel. You've rendered McKinley's most noble of knights speechless. You are, without a doubt, going to be the _hottest _girl at that ball tonight."

Finn could only let out a loud gulp and nod frantically in agreement. "Princess... You... You look incredible."

The Princess gave him a small, delighted curtsy. "Thank you, Sir Finn. You don't look half bad yourself."

"I..." Finn could feel the redness creeping quickly back into his face as he pants felt impossibly tight. He was going to regret this. "I... I have to go." With that, he raced out of the room.

Rachel frowned at the door. "Did I say something?" She asked, worried.

Kurt patted her shoulder lightly. "No, don't worry about it, boo. He just needs air where he can collect his train of thought again. You blew his mind." Rachel beamed at the thought of this.

Kurt looked at his watch. "Oh, the coach will be here in about an hour. I have to go change quickly and fix my hair a bit. Don't run in the dress, and don't ruin the part in your hair, okay?" Rachel nodded as he quickly rushed out the door and down the hall towards his own room. As he was passing by another hall on the way, he nearly jumped ten feat.

_CRASH!_

Kurt spun around to face the hall to his left. He stood there for a moment, staring wide eyed at the door that lay across from him at the other end. The sound had come from behind the door, in the room where all the precious old family antiques were kept. Someone was in there.

The sound was followed by another series of breaking glass, as well as the whistling of raging winds. It sounded like an indoor tornado.

Kurt considered trying to catch up with Sir Finn and tell him about it, but what if whoever was in there was gone by then? He then thought about checking it out himself, but he didn't know anything about fighting off a bad guy. That's probably why he was always kidnapped. What if he went in there and was kidnapped _again?_ But what if he let whoever was in there stay until nightfall, when he had the chance to sneak into Rachel's room and take her? But what if he went in there and ended up _dead?_

His mental debating was interrupted by a menacing screech. His palms flew to his ears, cringing at the noise. He had never heard such an ear-splitting sound. Almost immediately, he made up his mind, and spun on his heels to find Sir Finn or any of the nearby guard. Just before he took his second step, he yelped as he felt a sharp pain whipped him in the back, like a throwing dagger. He could feel his face hit the floor, but that was it before he felt his nervous system quickly grow cold. There was no pain, but there was fear and confusion, and the inability to move. He felt completely immobile.

_"Kurt!"_

He couldn't respond.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, this is the part where I slap you readers in the face with utter suspense and you all start yelling at me for it, and I only laugh at you as you wallow in your misery. XD LOL, come on guys, don't tell me you guys don't do the same thing when you leave epic cliff hangers like so. It's something that can't be helped. :D**

**This was originally going to be longer, but I thought the next part would fit better in the next chapter. Plus, of course, I wanted to leave you all hanging. Because I care. :)**

**NEXT UPDATE: As I previously mentioned, I am going on vacation to St. Thomas tomorrow and I'm not coming back until Sunday. This is good, because one: I have an excuse for not updating for a while, and two: that will give me time to write more chapters so I don't update late. Chapter 3 will be posted either the minute I get back from the islands or on Monday. I like giving you guys the dates because I know how annoying it is to have to wait and not know when something is going to continue. But the bad news is there was a very confusing cliff hanger at the end of this chapter, and I'm afraid people will go crazy. Someone once threatened to throw themselves off a cliff in a bus with elderly citizens and blame me in her will if I didn't update fast enough (on a different site with many, many crazy people), so let's keep that to an extreme minimum, shall we? XD**

**A ginormous thanks to all the rock stars who reviewed so far: **_Blueroses57, gleenarnialover, Juliet Hummel-Anderson, Missbroadwayboundfanfic, TheJully11, Totallystarstuck, and XxXxCherry KissXxXx._

**Lucky for you guys, I do chapter previews. Hopefully this will satisfy you long enough for me to get out of the country. XD**

**NEXT TIME:** _Prince Blaine does some snooping, but gets into huge trouble. Blue powder proves to be more of a problem than just a stain on the carpet. Prince Blaine and Sir Finn must draw their swords to rescue Prince Kurt. And Queen Sylvester... Let's just say she's angry about pretty much everything._

**If you're happy and you know it, then REVIEW! :D**

**~Mima Roses**


	4. Blue Powder Power

**A/N: ****Welcome back, wonderful people! ;D**

**How was my vacation, you ask? It was extremely relaxing and very eventful! For example, I ate and danced at a restaurant located in an office parking lot, my two friends and I nearly died while snorkeling (Our float almost crashed into a giant rock... but I saved us!), I have an EXTREMELY unwanted tan on my face, I never did get the onion rings I wanted (or the ice cream), and my little brother attempted to teach me French (FAILURE). ISN'T THAT THE BESTEST VACATION EVER OR WHAT? :D :D :D**

**But anyway, I have returned with the answer to your suspense. You may no longer wait in agony. :)**

**On another note, you may have noticed, but the title of this chapter is pretty minor and unimportant a AVPM reference. I'll hopefully add more IMPORTANT ones, because Glee fanfiction is never good without a little AVPM and AVPS. ^-^**

**Speaking of Klaine, there's some in this chapter! Finally! :D I've been having a problem getting it in there earlier 'cause it's hard to do it when they don't know each other that well. Plus, I think I've been doing too much Finn POV. The problem is he's in a lot of parts, and, well, he's the easiest to write... And I'm starting to like Finn a lot more than I used to. Kurt was right, his stupidity _is_ charming. XD**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Glee or any of its characters. If I did, Puck would have more solos and Blaine would have transferred to McKinley rather than Kurt transferring to Dalton.

* * *

**

**Blue Powder Power**

As Prince Blaine groped the walls of the pitch black hallway, he wondered about the time. Queen Sylvester was expecting her coach to arrive in about an hour, which means he only had that much time left.

He had arrived with a portion of his guard and a ready coach about two hours earlier so he had plenty of time to investigate the castle grounds for whatever secrets the Queen of McKinley may have been hiding. It had taken him approximately forty-five minutes to sneak into the castle unnoticed by McKinley's surprisingly weak guard while his men waited outside the kingdom walls for him to return so they could pick up the royal family. He had to hide for a good twenty-five minutes or so to wait for the royal gardener to leave the courtyard so he could investigate there first. He searched thoroughly for maybe a half an hour before having to hide again when a knight carrying a preserved dress walked through to get into the castle. From there, Blaine continued his search, but found nothing. He planned on using the hour and ten minutes he had left hopefully finding something of a hint somewhere in the castle, but his plan changed when he noticed something.

There was a single rose in the middle of a large patch of tulips. Blaine knew the trick. People used it to hide their spare house keys. But he had a feeling it wasn't a key that was buried under that one misfit rose.

When he stuck his hand in the soil under the tulip, he could feel something. It felt like some kind of dead bolt lock. As Blaine turned the switch, he jumped in surprise at the sound of concrete moving behind him. There was a large statue of the Queen in the middle of the courtyard, and right in front of it, the ground dropped to reveal stairs leading underground. Blaine was triumphant in his search.

He hurried down the stairs and found another switch, turning it and closing the entrance before someone came to see what all the noise was. It was too dark to see, but he managed to feel his way down the stone passageway, hoping it would lead to something brighter.

And now, here the Prince of Dalton was, still searching, with only one hour left to find out just what Queen Sylvester could be hiding.

After what felt like an eternity of walking and hoping for light, he felt a dead end.

Was that it? Was that all this hidden passageway lead to? Had he missed something? He must have. It was too dark to confirm anything, though. Maybe if he tried feeling the other wall on the way back, he'd feel something. He was about to turn around when his arm brushed against some kind of metal bump on the dead end wall.

His hand flew to it. It was a doorknob.

Without hesitation, he turned the knob and pushed. He could feel the wall budge slightly, but it didn't open. He pushed again. A crack of light poured in. Again.

It was open.

Blaine stumbled into a brightly lit room, landing on a red velvet carpet. He picked his head up to see what looked like a very highly decorative living room. It had a comfy couch, a stone fireplace, a fancy coffee table, and was _surrounded _with priceless antiques and royal paintings.

Blaine scrambled to his feet and turned around. The passageway door he had just opened had swung itself shut as soon as he had hit the floor. He ran over to what was now nothing but a shelf full of beautiful glass pots, feeling the edges to see if he could open it again, but it wouldn't move. He tried harder, but still nothing happened. He gave it one final tug before giving up.

Unfortunately, that tug was enough to knock one of glass pots off of the shelf. He didn't notice until he heard the crash.

Blaine spun around, his eyes meeting the mess he had made. If the Queen came to her secret hideout, or whatever this place was, and saw that, she'd know someone had been there. Pieces of painted glass were scatted across the floor, as well as the contents of the pot. Apparently, it had been filled with blue powder, staining the velvet carpet. Blaine rushed over to pick up the piece and hide them.

But as he knelt next to the mess, the blue powder began to move.

He jumped back as the powder rose and collected itself together in a small tornado in the air. The blue tornado slowly grew larger as more of the powder was sucked in. Blaine could feel the wind picking up, which wasn't a favor for the room full of delicate valuables. Glass was shattering across the floor as vases and tiny figurines were knocked over. Blaine had to dodge a few that fell from the shelf above him.

The tornado reached the ceiling, and from there is started to morph. The blue powder had formed a large sphere in the air, and quickly started melting together to create a solid. Blaine drew his sword, pointing it at the scaly ball that was forming from the powder.

The wind slowly came to a halt once the transformation was complete.

The brave Prince had never seen anything like it. It was a giant, scaly, round, shark toothed dragon that had been formed from what had originally looked like glitter on the floor. It looked like a blue beach ball with two long, sharp tails, claws, tiny bat wings, and many, many pointy teeth. It looked down at him with its perfectly round eyes, licking its thick, plump lips. Blaine had awkwardly mixed feelings about this creature. It looked as if it wanted to play with him, which was pretty cute... But also looked as if it wanted to _eat _him. Play with him, then eat him. Yup, that wasn't exactly the most comforting thought.

Blaine's only solution was to kill it, and wonder about it later. But nothing was happening. The creature just looked down at him... Wait, was it smiling? It was more of a cheerful smile than a menacing one. This only disturbed the Prince further. He needed to kill this thing right now before it gave him nightmares.

As Blaine was about to charge his sword at the monster, he jumped back, hands flying up to block his ears and cringe away at the deafening screech it suddenly belted out of it's throat (If it even had a throat, it's head and body were pretty much the same thing). Once it stopped, Blaine opened his eyes to see the creature had vanished. He whipped around and found it slipping through the large doors on the other side of the room, that which Blaine was completely unaware of its existence. He readied his sword once again and chased after it.

The minute he stepped out the door to follow it, he heard and scream, and immediately processed what was happening from his surroundings.

The passageway had somehow lead him into the castle, into a room full of family valuables, he presumed. The monster had escaped the room and was now loose in the castle, and within seconds of breaking free it was already in the process of claiming its first victim, who Blaine saw to be Prince Kurt, lying face down on the ground with a bloody gash planted in his back. The creature had whipped one of its vine-like tail at him, and was now wrapping it around his waist to lift him of the ground.

_"Kurt!" _Blaine immediately charged towards the beast, his sword pointing straight for what he hoped was it's chest, or at least an area where he would hit a major organ. He didn't have time to reach it before he was flying across the room due to the impact from the creature's other tail crashing into him. He hit the wall before dropping down on his hands and knees. His sword had flown in the opposite direction. He scrambled to his feet to retrieve it, but stumbled as the creature's tail thumped against the ground in front of him, blocking his path and creating a mighty earthquake.

Blaine knew the McKinley guard must be on their way to see what all the noise was. If they caught him inside the castle uninvited, the Queen would not be happy. In his favor, he'd have to retreat before he was spotted. But he couldn't leave Kurt. He had to save him. But he was trapped, with no way of reaching his weapon. How was he going to fight this thing without a sword?

Suddenly, a pair of doors right next to Blaine's lost sword flung open. Blaine spun around to see a knight standing there, his sword already drawn. He was alone. Why the hell was he alone? Where was the rest of the guard? If this were taking place at Dalton, the monster would already be roped and stabbed before it could hurt anybody. Were the McKinley guard really that slow?

The knight's expression went from horror (at the creature) to shock (at Prince Kurt) and then to confusion (at Prince Blaine) all within a course of five seconds. "Prince Blaine? What are you doing here?"

"No time to explain!" Blaine shouted quickly. "Quick! Grab my sword! It's over- _OOF!_" The Prince choked on his command as the monster's tail came around and slammed him against the wall, holding him there tight enough to crush his lungs so he could hardly breathe.

Fortunately, the knight got the message, and rushed to pick up Blaine's sword. Before the suffocating Prince knew it, he was on the ground, taking in a deep breath, as well as covering his ears as the creature let out another unbearable screech. The knight had stuck the sword into it's tail, and it was now drawing black goo that must have been blood. The liquid burned through the red carpet as it dripped from the wound. It was probably the most gruesome thing the knight had ever seen, for he was clearly going to upchuck at any moment.

Blaine, who was unaffected by the nasty sight, jumped to his feet and darted towards his sword, which was still imbedded into the tail. He reached up and clutched the handle, yanking it out of the skin. Without hesitation, he swung the blade down and cut straight through the base of the tail.

He jumped back and, once again, blocked his ears at the noise he was somehow growing used to. When he picked his head up, he could see the whites of the creatures eyes slowly turning blood red with boiling anger. He really pissed the thing off, didn't he?

"Where are the rest of the knights?" Blaine turned to face the knight, who didn't look like he was prepared for this kind of thing.

"Um..." He stuttered, "Th-they're probably on their way, but they may be on the other side of the castle grounds... It takes a while-"

"Then why are you here?" Blaine interrupted.

"B-because I was c-called here to bring the Princess a dress... and I was on my way back and-"

"Good enough. What is your name?"

"Um... Sir Finn Hudson, your Highness..."

"Are you skilled with a sword, Sir Finn?"

"I'm McKinley's most noble knight. Of course I'm skilled with a sword! But this thing..."

"Just help me rescue the Prince before the guard shows up!"

"O-okay!" Sir Finn held his sword out in a ready position, but of course he was anything but ready to battle this thing. He'd never seen anything like it. He'd fought trolls, witches, other knights, mermaids, giant pixies... But he'd never encountered anything as disturbing as whatever this monster was. But it was his duty to protect the royal family of McKinley as well as the kingdom, so he had to fight alongside the Prince of Dalton, even if he had no clue how he was involved in all of this.

Now, the monster was presenting it's new weapon. It opened it's mouth and out of it came his sharp, wet tongue, ready for attack. Finn felt even more disgusted as saliva landed on the floor where the blood had burned holes in the carpet.

Both the Prince and the knight dodged in different directions as the tongue whipped itself in their direction. Blaine stopped himself against the wall, while Finn's face met the floor. Blaine held up his sword and went for the beast, dodging to the right as the tongue darted at him, then to the left. Once he was close enough, he crouched down, making the impression that he was going to leap into the air. The distraction worked, and the creature whipped its tongue over Blaine's head. But instead of jumping, the skilled Prince ran straight forward, still crouched low, and circled around the confused creature to it's second tail. He lifted his sword and leaped forward, bringing it down to slice it off at the nub.

Another screech. This one lasted the longest.

Along with the detached tail, Prince Kurt lay face up on the floor, his eyes wide open. Forgetting the upset beast, Blaine ran directly to him, getting down on his knees to check his pulse. He was still alive. He was still conscious, but he wasn't moving. The only part of him that moved was his chest, which was heaving up and down, obviously trying to catch his breath.

From across the hall, Finn jumped to his feet. The monster had stopped screaming, and now it seemed to have reached its boiling point. It was no longer smiling that creepy, unnerving smile. Its sharp teeth were showing through its displeased lips as he turned around to face Blaine, who was on the ground aiding the injured Kurt. Finn could see the two stubs on the back of the creature that was left of it's two tails, and suddenly got the picture. The thing was really, _really_ pissed off. And it was about to get pay back while Prince Blaine was distracted.

Finn gripped the handle of his sword and ran for the creature as it unhinged its jaw, slowly revealing its deadly tongue. It pulled its tongue back, ready to lunge at the Prince, then hauled itself forward. Just in time, Finn leaped in, blocking its path, and pointed the tip of his sword straight forward. The tip of the creature's tongue plunged right into the blade.

The blood that emerged from the painful wound and the menacing cry that came from it's throat didn't stop the knight as he continued to plunge his sword deeper until he reached it's mouth. He stuck the sharp blade further in until it pierces the back of its throat, which instantly spewed the disgusting black goo all over him and his surroundings.

The creature couldn't scream anymore. Instead, it paled, its huge eyeballs rolling up into the back of its head as it lost flight and fell to the ground, a river of blood flowing from its mouth. Finn jumped back, trying to avoid getting more of the disgusting liquid onto him. But it was already too late for that.

After that, everything seemed surprisingly quiet.

Sir Finn looked down at his armor and nearly gagged. He was covered in blood. He wouldn't have minded if it were just the normal sticky red stuff he grew used to, but this was more like dark swamp gunk, and it smelled horrific. And knowing it was _supposed _to be blood didn't help very much. Taking a shower was on the top of his to-do list.

He turned to face Prince Blaine, who he now saw also desperately needed a shower. So did Prince Kurt, who seemed to be okay... Sort of. He didn't look like he could really move, but his eyes were still wide open, and judging by the sound of his breathing he was clearly alive. Blaine put a hand under him and turned him over so he was lying on his side, a grimace on his face.

Finn knelt down on the other side of him. "Is he okay?"

"I don't know," Blaine replied, gently lowering Kurt so he was once again lying on his back. "He's still breathing, but his limbs are paralyzed. And there's a huge gash on his upper back that may have caused it. I think the creature hit him with the tip of its tail. It must have some kind of poison in it."

"Poison?" A little red flag went up in Finn's mind. "Is he gonna die?"

Blaine shook his head. "No, not that kind of poison. It's supposed to keep its victim vulnerable long enough for it to finish the job. But I don't know if it's temporary or if there may be a cure or if there's even a way..."

Finn really should be worrying about Kurt like Blaine was, but he still had a question that was bothering him. This was probably the worst time to bring it up, but the suspense was killing Finn to the point where he just couldn't hold it in anymore. He brought his gaze from Kurt up to Blaine, who was clearly upset. Yup, definitely not the best time to ask. But he was going to ask anyway. "Prince Blaine, why are you here?"

Blaine sighed, lifting his head to meet the knight's eyes. "If you promise not to tell anyone I was ever here, I'll tell you."

Finn nodded, lifting up his pinky finger. "Pinky swear, man."

Blaine ignored the childish statement and sighed. "My father asked me to snoop around the castle grounds for anything Queen Sylvester may be hiding. I wouldn't have done it if I didn't agree with him, she is definitely keeping everyone in the dark about something. I ended up finding a secret passageway in the courtyard, and it lead to that room over there." He jerked his head over to the open door at the other end of the hall. "The door closed behind me, and when I tried to open it, I knocked over one of the glass pots... and there was this blue powder. You're not gonna believe this, but that dead monster over there came from that powder."

Finn's eyes widened. "You mean... You mean that thing was in the royal family's antiques room?"

Blaine nodded. "I guess that means it belongs to the Queen somehow."

Finn was completely speechless. He had never heard of there being any secret passageways in any part of the castle, which he didn't think was possible since he knew practically every square inch of the place. He's fiddled with so many things, how did he miss anything that could of opened a secret door? And why would it lead to the antique room? But most importantly, why the _hell_ was there a _monster_ in there?

It must be true. The Queen was keeping some kind of secret... But what?

"The guard will be here soon," Blaine interrupted his thoughts abruptly. "I have to go. Make sure Kurt it taken care of, and tell no one I was here. If they ask, say a thief broke in and knocked the pot over. They need to know where it came from."

Finn nodded quickly, turning his gaze towards the door. He could hear the distant footsteps of the McKinley guard (Jeez, took them long enough!) coming closer. Blaine looked down at Kurt one last time, sighing deeply as he lightly brushed the boy's cheek, looking straight into his frightened eyes. He prayed he'd be okay. If this were permanent, he'd never forgive himself.

"Dude, I thought you were leaving!"

Blaine gasped as he heard distant voices, then nodded, scrambling to his feet and fleeing in the opposite direction. He vanished just as the knights of McKinley veered the corner and entered the scene.

* * *

_"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?"_

The doors to Kurt's bedroom flung open as Queen Sylvester stormed in, seething with rage at the news she had just received. Her son was lying stiff on the bed, his breathing finally growing steady until the Queen barged in noisily. Beside him, Princess Rachel was pressing a damp cloth onto his forehead, holding a dry towel above it to avoid getting his hair wet. Sir Finn and Sir Puckerman were behind her, suddenly alarmed as they rushed over to the raging woman approaching them.

"Y-your Highness!" Finn quickly bowed in respect with Puck. "Someone broke into the antique room and accidentally knocked a pot off the shelves. I was there. There was this giant beast that came out of the pot, and-"

"You mean that horrific _thing_ staining my carpet!" The Queen hissed, venom leaking from her tone. "Why are you here and not getting rid of it? Do you have any much this castle now reeks of blood and guts?"

"Um, w-we have others taking c-care of it, Your H-highness," Puck stuttered quickly, clearly sweating from under his helmet. Queen Sylvester was the only thing in the world that shook brave Sir Puck's to the core. "W-we were just aiding t-the Prince. The... The thing p-paralyzed him something..."

"But he's getting better," Finn added. "He can move his head and talk and breathe and stuff, but he can't move his, well, arms... or legs..."

"Out of my way!" Sue shoved them aside and made her way to her injured son. Puck caught himself on the wall, but Finn ended up loosing his balance and hitting the ground. His friend offered his hand and helped him up.

"Thanks, man," Finn nodded to him.

"No problem," Puck replied, "Hey, I was just thinking, what if that thief that broke into the antique room is still in the castle? Shouldn't we be working on catching him before he causes even more trouble?"

"Um..." Finn bit his lip. He wasn't sure if Prince Blaine had escaped by now. He might have, but if he was still in the castle, Finn had to give him more time. "Actually... I don't think that guy is in the castle anymore, so..."

"How do you know?" Puck raised an eyebrow.

Finn desperately searched for an excuse, until it slipped out. "The monster ate him."

It was quiet for a moment, until Puck suddenly exploded in a fit of comedic laughter. "Wow, karma's just a real _bitch_, ain't it? That's the most hilarious thing I've heard in weeks! Man, I wish I could've seen that!"

Finn let out a small chuckle and faked a smile along with him. "Yeah, it was pretty funny... But it was kinda hard to laugh, ya know? I mean, the Prince was in danger, and yeah..."

"Oh yeah, man, you should totally get a gold metal for that!" Puck gave him a hard pat on the shoulder. "I mean, that thing was attacking you with its razor frog tongue, and you _killed_ it and saved Prince Kurt's life! You're a real man!"

Sudden realization punched Finn hard in the stomach. For a while he had been thinking that it was all Blaine's work, saving Prince Kurt with his awesome fighting and dodging skills, almost as if he were some kind of super ninja, but he totally forgot that he was the one who saved _both_ their lives and that he _stabbed_ the thing in the throat and _killed _it. He didn't even think he could _do _that! "Whoa... Dude, I didn't even think about that until just now. I'm... I'm a total _badass_ now, aren't I?" A proud grin formed on his face.

"Okay, listen, dude," Puck placed a firm hand on Finn's shoulder. "Tonight, if and when the royal family leave for that ball in Dalton, we're having a kick ass party in the knight's tavern. I'm taking an all nighter of beer, battles, and your inner badass. You up for it?"

"Totally!" Finn beamed.

They pounded fists before cringing in fear as the Queen started yelling. "I thought I told you idiots to get a move on and clean up the mess you made in the hall!"

The two were out the door within seconds.

"But, Mother!" Rachel continued to plead after the knights had left. "The coach is probably already on its way, and we can't force them to go back after taking the time to come and pick us up! And Kurt is getting so much better!"

"I can move my fingers, see?" Kurt waved his fingers up and down to prove it. "And I'm already starting to feel the nerves in my back. Besides, you don't want to stick around while the creature's body is still reeking up the castle, right? By the time we get back they'll have gotten rid of it!"

Sue just shook her head once again, folding her arms over her chest. "There is no way I'm letting you go to that ball after what just happened! This is a family situation and we're not going anywhere until we've all recovered."

"I'm fine!" Kurt protested.

"You're _paralyzed!"_

"Your Highness?"

_"What?"_ Sue spun around to face Sir Mike, who was standing in the doorway. He cringed at her vicious tone. "Um... the Prince of Dalton has arrived with your coach..."

The Queen's eyes narrowed into slits. It was bad enough that Shuester had offered them a ride with their stupid guard, but him sending his over-groomed hobbit son to tag along? Like she was going to let Kurt near that pathetic little pretty boy, not after that creepy stalker look he was giving him in the thrown room the previous day. "Tell him to piss off! My son is injured, and I'm not leaving this castle until we've all recovered from this traumatic incident!"

"If that's the case, we're very willing to wait, Queen Sylvester." Speak of the devil, Prince Blaine entered the room as Mike held the door open for him. He flashed a dapper smile to McKinley's royal family, lightly bowing his head in respect. "I heard the Prince was injured. Is there anything I or my guard can do to help? We can wait as long as you'd like."

The Queen was about ready to glare at him bitterly until she inhaled a breath, instantly bringing her finger up to block her nose. "My god, did that dead monster smell just suddenly get worse? Shut the door, Chang!"

Mike slammed the door shut instantly. Sue inhaled again, but the horrific smell was still strong. Blaine's polite smile faded, for he knew the scent of the creature's blood was still on him, even though he had carefully wiped it off before he returned to the castle. If the Queen knew it was him...

"Ugh, I don't know if I can take this scent much longer..." The Queen shook her head in dismay. "Alright, Shuester, you win this time. The minute my son is able to twitch a limb in his leg, we're outta here. Oh _god,_ it's getting worse! Chang, come help me find something to mask that horrid scent." Forgetting about the entire situation, Queen Sylvester quickly left the room, followed by Mike, who shut the door behind her.

Blaine let out a sigh of relief, almost forgetting that he was alone with the Prince and Princess. He turned to them, locking eyes with Kurt instantly. He approached the bed. "How are you feeling?" He asked gently.

"I'm actually feeling fine," Kurt replied with a smile. "I can move my neck and fingers, so I'm sure I'll be walking in no time."

"Thank you so much, by the way," Rachel added with a bright grin. "We're so grateful for everything you and your family are trying to do for us. I'm sorry our mother doesn't feel the same way, though. She can be very... Well, she doesn't really enjoy putting trust in people. She's very stubborn."

"It's not a problem," Blaine nodded to her. "And as for the Queen, we don't take offense. My father thinks of it as a fun challenge. As soon as we get through to her, we'll be able to give you our best services."

"Well, we greatly appreciate it." Rachel lifted the damp towel she was holding against her brother's forehead and used the dry towel to wipe away the excess beads of water. She then folded them both neatly and placed them in a metal bowl that was set on the bedside table. "Excuse me, I have to put these away. Do you mind watching my brother until I get back?"

"Of course not," Blaine replied instantly. Rachel quickly gave Kurt a small peck on the forehead before picking up the metal bowl and swiftly heading for the door. Before she left, Blaine quickly added, "You look stunning, by the way, Princess." Rachel beamed once again before giving him a curtsy and shutting the door behind her.

"Blaine?"

The Dalton Prince turned to face the McKinley Prince. "Yes?"

Kurt moved his fingers as a signal for Blaine to take his head. It took Blaine a few seconds to figure out what it meant before he slowly reached out to take it. Their fingers intertwined slowly. Kurt was holding his hand tightly. Blaine looked confused. Kurt smiled up at him.

"Thank you for saving me."

* * *

**A/N: AH HA! CLIFF HANGER! I am so evil! LOL, no, actually I only stopped there 'cause this chapter was on the bridge of being 8 FREAKIN' PAGES LONG! So the cliff hanger was pretty spontaneous, I guess. Even though it's not that suspenseful... But hey, look, there's Klaine! Yay! And it only took me three chapters to really get there! Whoo hoo! XD**

**Hey, guess what time it is? SPONTANEOUS CONTEST TIME, THAT'S WHAT! :D :D :D**

**YAY A CONTEST!: **_Make up a funny Soviet Russia joke and put it in your review IN RUSSIAN, and I will pick the best one and let that reviewer name the monster that is introduced in this chapter!_

_Example:_ В Советской России, вы не можете найти Вальдо, Вальдо найдет вас._ (In Soviet Russia, you don't find Waldo, Waldo finds YOU.)_

_I recommend you use an online translator to get the Russian scribe, because I can't translate it if the scribe is in English. THE DEADLINE IS BY THE TIME CHAPTER 5 IS POSTED. So, good luck!_

**Yup, that was also pretty spontaneous, huh? Huh? Huh? Huh huh? :D Yeah, I'm FULL of spontaneous-ness right now! _(Spontaneously combusts into flames)_**

**NEXT UPDATE: Okay, I have bad news. We've reached the dreaded point in this fanfiction. I've officially caught up to an unfinished chapter. Chapter 4, I hate to say, is not finished. D: I'll have you know in my past fanfiction history, when I catch up like this, I normally don't get to finish. Ever. It's my ADD that does it. BUT, the GOOD news is, we've been having a frequent amount of snow days, and I've been rather pumped about this particular fanfiction lately. I'm sure I'll have plenty of time after posting this chapter to finish Chapter 4 and hopefully get moving on Chapter 5 while getting all my homework done at the same time. Just need a favor from you guys; if I don't update by the time I promise I will, SEND ME MESSAGES TO REMIND ME. Don't be afraid to tell me I missed my goal date. My next update will be either Tuesday night, Wednesday in the afternoon, or early Thursday morning. If I have not updated by Thursday, remind me. Thanks. :D**

**Thanks to all those who have boarded the train of reviews so far: **_Blueroses57, Juliet Hummel-Anderson, Missbroadwayboundfanfic, Starr. lovesglee__, TheJully11, Totallystarstuck, and XxXxCherry KissXxXx._

**NEXT TIME: **_Prince Kurt and Prince Blaine bond over healing time. Princess Rachel does some snooping of her own, only to find she's not the only one. Queen Sylvester takes precaution. When the coach is out of sight, the knights start to party all night. Sir Mike isn't so lucky. And Sir Puckerman gets pwned... AGAIN._

**Don't forget to click the little button we all know and love below! :D **

**~Mima Roses**


	5. Just Have Courage

**A/N: Yeeeeaaahhhh... I'm late. O_O**

**I'm sorry. This is what happens when I catch up... It literally took me all that time to write this chapter because I was always distracted. And I didn't get that many reviews last chapter, so there wasn't much motivation for me. But I don't blame you guys at all, I should have been working on it instead of watching NBC all day. But it's hard because... you know... it's NBC. :P**

**On a brighter note, I FINISHED THE CHAPTER. I'm quite proud, really. I just finished it today. Sadly, chapter 5 hasn't even started yet... But if you're worried about that scroll down to the bottom of the page and read the next update. But, YAY! IT'S FINALLY DONE! :D :D :D**

**BUT FAIR WARNING, this chapter is not edited. If anyone out there happens to be a beta, I'd really appreciate it if you'd beta for me. I'm not really sure how a beta works, because I've never had a beta for a story before, but if any one of you is a beta and willing to explain how this works, I'd greatly appreciate it. :)**

**So, this chapter has mild Klaine, snooping Rachel, creepy Sue, raging Puck, dapper Blaine, and Wes. What's NOT to look forward to? :D **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Glee or any of its characters. If I did, I wouldn't have to write this disclaimer. In fact, I wouldn't have bothered writing this fan fiction. I would just make a whole fairytale episode. So stop accusing me of claiming to own this show, because I DON'T! ARRRGGGGHHH! DX**

**Now sit back, grab a cookie, and enjoy the program. :)

* * *

**

**Just Have Courage**

_"Thank you for saving me."_

There are a few words that could describe Blaine's reaction. He felt rather stupid, first of all, to think that Kurt couldn't possibly be aware of his surroundings during his attack. His eyes were wide open and he was focused on breathing. Paralyzed and unconscious are two completely different things. He was also a little embarrassed, remembering how he had touched Kurt's face before he left the scene. Kurt had been _awake _for that. Lastly, he was afraid. What if Kurt had told his mother? No, wait, he'd already be in trouble if he had. Blaine relaxed instantly.

It was hard to Blaine to come up with a response, so he simply did the polite thing and bowed his head to the younger boy. "You're welcome."

The silence that followed was far from comfortable. Neither of them moved (Not that Kurt could anyway). They just looked at each other. Finally, Blaine shattered the quiet with a sigh. "I'm sorry."

Kurt's smile fell. He was now looking up at Blaine in confusion. "What are you talking about? I'm alive because of you."

"You're here because of me." Blaine said, "If I hadn't knocked over that pot, you never would have gotten hurt in the first place."

"I'm fine." Kurt protested.

"You're _paralyzed."_

Kurt turned his head away and released a frustrated sigh. "I'm fine," he repeated, "It's not like I'm forever handicapped. I'm actually getting better. I feel lucky, actually. It's permanent for some people. They end up having to use machines or wheels to get around. I appreciate that I'll be able to get up and move around soon, unlike some."

Blaine felt a pang of guilt. He shouldn't be surprised at the other Prince's selflessness. He thought about how other people had it worse than he did before feeling bad for himself. He gently squeezed Kurt's senseless hand. "You're right. I'm glad, too." He slowly lifted the younger boy's hand and pressed his lips to his knuckles. Kurt's cheeks were immediately beat red at the gesture, and he seemed to be holding back a content smile.

There was another silence, but it was more comfortable and didn't last as long. It ended abruptly when Kurt asked, "What is the Dalton kingdom like?"

Blaine thought about it for a minute. He knew McKinley and Dalton were two completely different worlds. McKinley was a poor and withering kingdom that was vulnerable to a deadly ambush. Dalton was a peaceful and thriving land that's main priority was to treat everyone as an equal. The sun didn't shine on McKinley like it did on Dalton. That's what was believed to bring its downfall. But what was he supposed to say? _Oh, it's way better than this dump, that's for sure._ Of course not. That would only make Kurt feel bad.

"I guess you could say it's peaceful," Blaine told him, "My family has many allies they can rely on if we get into trouble, so we don't have many problems. We try our best to run our kingdom smoothly. So far, it's going well."

"Have you ever been threatened?"

Blaine nodded instantly. "Many times. But I was practically raised by the Dalton guard. I learned how to defend myself if I were ever in danger."

Blaine paused when he noticed Kurt seemed a little bit distant. He was looking over at his feet and his smile had faded. Blaine squeezed his hand slightly. "Are you alright?" He asked.

Kurt blinked twice and looked back up at him. "Oh, it's... Um, it's nothing." He stuttered. "It's just..." He let out a long sigh as his gaze drifted away from Blaine. "I was just remembering the first time I was kidnapped..."

Blaine slipped his hand out of Kurt's for a moment to pull up a chair and sit down. He reached for it again after he was seated. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Kurt didn't respond for a moment. Blaine just waited for him, until finally he whispered, "I just... I thought I was going to die. Mother never let me near a sword or the training grounds because she thought my underdeveloped balance would cause me to hurt myself if I ever tried to learn how to fight. I couldn't do anything to defend myself. I had to let them push me around and treat me like some kind of rag doll..." He shuddered. "It was the most terrifying experience of my life... I wanted to be prepared, but I wasn't." He moved his gaze back to Blaine. "It's stupid, isn't it? I'm supposed to be a Prince. A Prince should be strong and brave enough to protect his kingdom, but instead I have to be protected by my kingdom. And they need me..." Tears formed at the rims of his eyes, threatening to roll down his face. He couldn't move to stop them, but Blaine could. The Dalton Prince reached over with his free hand and whipped them away with his thumb.

"You shouldn't be ashamed of yourself for that," he said softly, "You've done a lot more for this kingdom than you give yourself credit for. You and your sister are the ones protecting the people. I'm sure if it were up to Queen Sylvester, there would be no McKinley. But you keep this land up on it's feet. You've done nothing wrong, and nothing here is your fault. In fact, you've done everything right."

Kurt was silent. His eyelids slid closed. His expression was unreadable. Blaine almost expected another uncomfortable silence to follow, until he noticed Kurt's left shoulder twitch. It moved up and down, going faster as in did, until his arm started moving around with it. Once the range of movement in his arm was almost seemingly back to normal, Kurt slipped his fingers away from the Dalton Prince's and carefully slid his elbow back far enough so he could prop himself up a bit. His right arm followed in suit. Blaine watched in awe as Kurt worked to sit upright, moving back to lean on the bed frame. He let out a relaxed breath as he rested the back of his head on the wood.

"That's better..." He murmured to himself. He then opened his eyes, turning his attention back to Blaine. "You're right. It's my mother... It's the Queen. She doesn't... She doesn't want to try. But I can't do anything about it..."

"Based on what you said to her yesterday in the Thrown room, I'd beg to differ." Blaine noted. "You convinced her to accept our invitation, remember? We wouldn't be able to help if it weren't for you."

Kurt's grim expression didn't change. "But that doesn't mean she'll accept." He said in a hoarse voice, "I'm not sure what it is, but there's _something_ she's not telling us, and it may be why McKinley is in such despair. And I don't know why... But she wants to keep it that way."

So Kurt was suspicious about his mother's actions as well? This would be a good opportunity to talk to him about that... Wait, no. This wasn't the right time. Blaine would have to ask him about it later. For now, he would just reassure him. "Don't worry," His expression became serious, "We're going to do whatever it takes to find out what she's hiding. In the mean time, just have courage."

* * *

A dim light illuminated the darkness just barely as a match was lit. The small flame was used to light the brass lantern dangling from the handle that was firmly held in a bony, manicured hand. The match was tossed aside as the lantern proceeded to make it's way down the cold stone passageway, light footsteps echoing off the walls from behind it.

The light stopped at an old wooden door on the left wall of the hall. The handle was nearly broken, and chunks of wood was missing along with the top hinge. The remaining rusting hinges let out a creaking wail as the wood was pulled open. The light floated through the opening, the door shutting behind it.

The light shined upon mountains of gold coins. The room was filled to the roof with the sparkling treasure. There were some diamonds and other valuable jewels hidden among the coins, as well as some gold bars to add to its value. But the figure carrying the lantern was not here to stop and admire the beautiful treasure. There were other important matters to attend to.

The sound of footsteps circled around the mountain of wealth and stopped at the other side. There were two dusty old throwns adjacent to each other against the wall. They were both infested with spiders and cobwebs. They had been sitting there, untouched, for over eighteen years. But what stood out the most about the two chairs were the withering skeletons that inhabited each one, both wearing the crowns that marked them King and Queen of McKinley.

Or at least they used to be.

Queen Sylvester, the now rightful ruler of the McKinley kingdom, held the light up to level with Queen Shelby's skull. Inside her head was a small spider's nest. Sue chuckled at the thought of spring coming, and all the baby spiders crawling out of the corpses eyes and open jaw all at once. She wished she could stick around to see it happen, to witness just how disgusting the once beautiful Queen was now, but she had something to take care of.

The Queen let the handle of the lantern dangle around her wrists so her hands were free to clutch the withering corpse's ankles and drag her out of her rotting thrown. The skeleton was dragged across the ground towards a door in the back corner or the room. Sue reached into her gold shoulder bag and pulled out a small key, unlocking the door and pulling it open. This door wasn't as old and broken as the first door, so it opened easier and didn't make a sound. As soon as the door was wide open, Sue carelessly tossed Queen Shelby into the small closet-sized room. She then approached King Burt's thrown, grabbing him by the ankles as well and repeating her actions.

Once Queen Sylvester was finished chucking the man's skeleton into the room with his dead wife, she slammed the door shut and locked it, shoving the key into her bag and storming out of the room. It was a precaution that needed to be taken on her part.

* * *

The antique room was a wreck. _Everything_ was broken. It was difficult to find a spot on the floor that wasn't covered in broken glass. Even the furniture had been disoriented. The couch had been practically thrown against the wall, and half the shelves had ended up on the other side of the room.

Rachel wasn't supposed to be anywhere near this room. The guards had no idea if the thief Sir Finn spoke of was still in the castle, and if he was, they needed to keep the Princess as far away from him as possible. Plus, there was the chance another monster would appear and attack her.

But nothing made sense anymore to Rachel. She had gone through her whole life where not much suspicious behavior had occurred inside the castle, and now suddenly her mother is a completely different person. She was obviously hiding something from the moment she attempted to turn King Shuester down, and then a monster that came from _her_ family antiques attacks Kurt. It was getting stranger by the minute, and Rachel had to do _something _to try and find out what was up.

As Rachel scanned the room, that was when she noticed it. There was one bookcase that had failed fall over like the others. It was completely vacant of antiques, of course, but it was still _standing. _Rachel immediately rushed over to it, dodging the pieces of glass on the floor and making sure to lift her dress up so it wasn't ruined as she ran. As she reached the bookcase, she noticed that the ground in front of it had had it's glass swiped off to the side, like a windshield wiper.

_Or like an open door._

Rachel was now curiously examining the empty bookcase for any sort of clue. If the bookcase _was_ a door, someone would have had to open it recently, otherwise the glass wouldn't have been swiped to the side. There had to be some way to open it. Unless she was just being delusional from reading too many classic mystery novels. She felt too much like Sherlock Holmes as she felt around the shelves for a switch or a handle.

She gasped as her fingers brushed over what felt like a bump in a deep, practically hidden corner of the bottom shelf.

Rachel felt the bump again with a light touched. It felt like a button. _Perfect._

However, she never got the change to press it before she felt the bookcase suddenly jerk towards her. The Princess leaped back, yelping in shock. It was as if someone were pushing on the other side. The bookcase jerked forward again, this time opening a crack. Rachel instinctively scurried to hide, cramming herself behind another fallen bookcase. She ducked her head down as the bookcase opened, and she heard the sound of footsteps entering the room. There was a loud BANG as the bookcase closed behind whoever had entered the room.

Rachel stayed frozen in place, waiting for them to leave the room. She tried to cover her chest so the stranger couldn't hear the sound of her violent heart pounding. Holding her breath, she closed her eyes, listening carefully to the sound of the figure moving across the room towards the door. She heard the click of the door opening, followed immediately by a loud SLAM.

Rachel jumped up from her hiding place, breathing heavily. That wasn't the most terrifying moment of her life, but it was definitely up there in the top twenty. She decided it was time to get out of her and carry the information to others. She stepped around the broken glass as she made her way to the door, reaching for the handle and throwing it open.

She was just in time to see he mother turn the corner and disappear into another hallway.

* * *

It was getting late, and by that time Queen Sylvester could barely breathe without gagging. She couldn't take much more of it. The smell was getting too thick, and she feared if she was in the presence of it for too long it would settle in her nostrils and she would be forced to smell it for eternity. She was already storming down the hall towards Prince Kurt's room so she could _drag _him to the coach, whether he could feel his scrawny limbs or not. They were leaving now. She would choose Shuester over the stench of monster corpse any day after this experience.

Sir Mike was standing guard at the door where she left him. He jumped ten feat when the Queen's booming voice broke into the silence he was previously surrounded by. "Chang! Get your tail out from between your legs and go find Rachel! Bring her out front when you do! You've got five minutes, now _GO!"_

Mike was gone in an instant.

The Queen made no effort to enter quietly. Without even thinking to knock, she ripped the door open and stomped quickly into the room.

She froze almost immediately.

What she saw was so horrific that for a moment, the terrible dead monster stench vanished. Standing by Kurt's bed was Will Shuester's son (As if it wasn't bad enough seeing he was _still _in the room), his arms wrapped tightly around the waist of her own soon, who was grasping the other Prince's collar in his fists.

Queen Sylvester exploded.

"Get your stubby arms _off_ him, you_ MAN WHORE!"_

Blaine, obviously startled, instantly let go of Kurt and jumped back, holding his hands over his head with a look of alarm on his face. The second he let go, Kurt's legs wobbled uncontrollably and he let out a high-pitched scream as he fell face first to the floor. Blaine instinctively scrambled to his knees to aid him, but the boy's mother would not have it. "Back off, Hobbit! If you touch him again I'll have you sterilized!"

Blaine didn't move from his place, but he held his hands in the air. He let out a deep, somewhat irritated breath and looked up at the Queen with serious eyes. "Queen Sylvester, I apologize if this seems inappropriate to you, but it's really not what you think. I was only supporting him so he could stand. He's gotten so much better, and we thought he might be able to retrieve the rest of his senses if he tried walking."

Despite the Dalton Prince's careful explanation, Queen Sylvester would still not have it. She shot him an icy glare before turning her attention to Kurt, who was supporting himself on his elbows. He was blushing so deeply that his face looking like nothing more than a plump tomato.

"Can you walk?" She questioned sharply.

Kurt shook his head. "No, that's why Blaine was supporting me, Mother." He explained softly.

At that moment, the two knights, Sir Finn and Sir Puck, arrived at the door, swords and shields drawn, reacting to the Prince's scream that could be heard throughout most of the castle. Seeing as there was no one else in the room other than her Highness and the two Princes, they shot each other questioning looks before putting their weapons to rest. Finn looked a little embarrassed. "Apologies, Your Majesty, but we thought there was an attack... We'll just go..."

"Not so fast!" Both knights froze as the Queen held up her hand to stop them. She then pointed a finger towards her son. "We're leaving right now. Carry him out front to the coach. And _hurry,_ I need to be alone with Shuester's son for a minute." She hissed venomously when she spoke the name _Shuester._

Finn and Puck nodded and hurried over to help Kurt. They each grabbed an arm and pulled him up. Kurt put his arms around each of their shoulders and let them each put an arm under his legs and lift him up, carrying him out of the room. Kurt couldn't help but give Blaine an apologetic look as he was taken away. He was terrified of what his mother might do.

As soon as they were gone, the Queen turned to Blaine. Her eyes narrowed into slits. "And as for _you,_"she pointed an accusing finger at him. "I don't care what your intentions are whether they're platonic, affectionate, or nothing at all! From now on, you're not obligated to stand within a fifty foot radius of either of my children! I don't want them catching your Oompa Loompa Syndrome, your Mad Bushy Eyebrow Disease, or whatever dangerous illnesses your chemical contaminated hair gives off! Most of all, I will _not _tolerate any romantic feelings between you and my son! Your father can do what he wants with my kingdom, but I will not share my family with his! He's a disgusting, optimistic curly, and you're _just like him. _So don't get any ideas, Shortstop, or I will _bring down_ the _hammer! _Am I clear?" The flame burning in her glare grew larger as she went on, and by the time she was finished traces of smoke were rising above her eye lashes. She was practically leaning over the Prince, still pointing a scrawny finger at him.

Blaine hadn't shown any signs of fear or weakness. He just stood there, staring straight into her eyes. Not many people dared to look her straight in the eye. The effect usually ended in either tears or passing out. But somehow the Dalton Prince managed to stay completely calm and collected. He took a small step back to collect his personal bubble before speaking. "With all do respect, Your Highness, I find your fears very irrational. I may be a little bit short, but it's not a danger to those around me, nor is the gel in my hair. And I find your reasoning for your hatred towards my father a bit suspicious. Do you not wish for people to have hope?"

"I wish for people to have common sense!" The Queen spat defensively. "The sooner that man realizes we can't all live in the land of rainbows and butterflies, the sooner he'll stop corrupting the minds of others, and therefore the better!"

Blaine let out a short sigh, as if he knew this was a hopeless case. "Well, you have your views and we have ours. Since you asked, I will keep my distance from your children until you say otherwise." A look of disappointment crossed his face as he said this. "You mentioned that you would like to leave?"

Queen Sylvester didn't respond. She simply spun on her heels and headed straight for the door, leaving Prince Blaine alone in the middle of the room, slamming the door behind her. Blaine waited until he was sure she had traveled a safe distance away before following suit.

* * *

The coach was waiting at the castle front doors. There were some Dalton knights mounted on their horses, patiently waiting for the royal family of McKinley, along with their own Prince, to arrive. They had been in place for maybe forty five minutes before the front doors finally opened to reveal Princess Rachel, followed closely by Sir Mike. One of the Dalton knights, a charming Asian boy with dark hair, dismounted from his steed and approached them. He bowed. "Good evening, Princess. My name is Sir Wesley of the Dalton kingdom. We've been ordered to make sure you have a safe voyage to Dalton, so you'll have nothing to worry about. You have our word."

Rachel smiled at this, but Mike didn't seem as amused. "You _better_ keep that word. If you don't, we McKinley knights will go all Troll Rampage on you! Got it?"

"Sir Mike!" Rachel scolded him. "Don't be rude. He was only making sure I was comfortable during the trip." She turned back to Sir Wesley, giving him a nod and a small curtsy. "Thank you. We greatly appreciate it. My mother and brother should be here soon."

As if on que, the front doors opened once again and out stepped Sir Finn and Sir Puck, who were carrying Prince Kurt in a two-hand seat out of the castle. They had a little trouble getting down the front steps, but eventually made it to where the Princess was standing with the other two knights.

"So... Should we just put him in the coach?" Puck asked awkwardly. Neither of them were very sure where to go from here.

"No, put me down," Kurt insisted, "I'm not going in until Blaine comes out of there alive."

Sir Wes, along with a few other Dalton knights who heard this, were suddenly alarmed. Wes's hand flew to the handle of his sword. "Why? What's going on in there?"

"Don't get your man tits in a knot!" Puck shouted irritably, "He was left alone in a room with the Queen. He's not fighting some man-eating beast you can help him take down. Now quit showing off how amazing you Dalton pansies think you are!"

_"Puck!" _Rachel and Finn scolded him simultaneously. Although Finn shared the grudge that the McKinley knights held against the Dalton knights for acting as if they were above them in many ways, that didn't mean he approved of suggesting any man had boobs, no matter how much of a pansy they seem to be. It just seemed wrong and disturbing to think about.

Wes seemed a little confused, but removed his hand from his sword. "I apologize if I offended you in any way. We were only being cautious. We're trained to take action when we hear anything suspicious."

Puck was somehow set off by this. "And you don't think _we're_ trained to take action? We aren't! We take action as an _instinct!_ Our awesomeness and bravery comes totally naturally while yours was given to you through _training!_ Suck on _that!"_

"Be quiet, Puck!" Finn thumped him in the head with the back of his hand, but it unfortunately didn't have any effect. He could see how upset Rachel was getting, and didn't want to see her cry.

"You don't need to prove yourself to us, Sir Puck," Wes assured him calmly, "We don't compare ourselves to you in any way, if that's what you're insisting. But you do realize that you seem to be the one comparing yourself to us."

This seemed to set Puck off. "Don't turn this around on me, son of a bitch!" He threw the Prince at Finn, who almost lost his balance as he tried not to drop him. Puck immediately drew his sword and swung it at Wes, who quickly leaped out of the way, pulling out his own sword. Rachel screamed in terror as she moved to stop them, but Mike pulled her back in fear she would be decapitated. The other Dalton knights jumped off their horses and ran to the scene with their swords drawn, but they did not interfere. They knew better than to make a one-on-one fight unfair by outnumbering the opponent.

Puck once again swung his blade at the Dalton knight, who blocked the blow with his own. Wes swung his sword in circles, causing Puck's sword to travel with it, and flicked it off to the side, causing the McKinley knight to stumble. Wes took the opportunity to charge at Puck with his shoulder, knocking him to the ground. His sword flew out of his grasp, and before he knew it he was lying on the ground his with the tip of an antique sword pressed lightly against his adams apple. He stared at the blade, too shocked to do anything about it.

Finn acted quickly. He dropped Kurt into Mike's arms, who stumbled a bit managed to stay on his feet, and rushed over to the two knights. "Wait, wait, wait! Don't kill him! He just has anger management issues! He didn't mean half the things he said!"

"Shut up, man!" Puck shouted defensively.

Wes looked at Puck, then at Finn, then back down at Puck before withdrawing his sword from the McKinley knight's neck. "Again, I apologize for offending you. We'll stay out of your way if you agree to stay out of ours. We don't want any bad blood between the Dalton knights and the McKinley knights. Remember, King Shuester is trying to help your kingdom."

Puck just scowled at him as Finn grabbed his arm to help him up. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Everyone turned as they heard the front door, once again, open. This time it was Queen Sylvester who marched down the steps, surveying the scene with a distasteful gaze. "Is that coach ready to get us out of here or not?" She demanded.

The Dalton knight quickly fled back to their horses to prepare for departure. Wes stayed put, staring at the Queen with questioning eyes. "Where is Prince Blaine?"

"Oh, don't get your man tits in a knot!" The Queen shot him an icy glare. Puck silently cheered while Finn stared in horror and confusion. "Just get us in the stupid coach so we're ready to go!" She then promptly stormed off to the waiting coach. Rachel quickly followed her, as did Mike, who was still carrying Kurt. Wes continued to stare at the front door until it opened one last time, and Blaine finally stepped out of the castle. He approached Wes, who bowed slightly. Blaine was staring at him in confusion. "Wes, why is your sword drawn?"

"Because he's a freakin' dick head!" Puck interjected as he snatched up his sword from the ground and stuck it in his belt. Finn once again thumped him in the back of the head, much harder this time, feeling triumphant when he saw it had an effect. Puck glared at him.

"The McKinley knights apparently hold a grudge, but it has been resolved." Wes clarified, "We're all set to leave, Your Highness."

"Perfect, let's get out of here." Blaine then approached his horse and mounted, as did Wes.

Finn, Puck, and Mike watched from from a distance as the coach and the Dalton knights disappeared into the black of the night. They waited in silence for a short period of time before Puck shattered it. "So... Mike, you go spread the word, Finn, you go get changed, and you both meet me at the knights tavern in half an hour. It's official, we're partying 'til the crack of dawn."

* * *

**A/N: This took me too long to write... **SIGH** And I didn't even get to edit it, so I severely apologize for any embarrassing mistakes. I just wanted to UPDATE ALREADY!**

**So a few Glee episodes went by while I wasn't updating. Here are my opinions: SSBS was interesting and fun. I still hate Karofsky. Silly Love Songs was ADORABLE. I hate Jeremiah (_WAS A BULLFROG! _XD). But I luvs Klaine. But I hate Fuinn. Comeback was Biebalicious and My Chemical Romantastic. But they could have done a lot better with "SING". They need to do more MCR in the future. I was sad that neither Kurt nor Blaine had any screen time in this episode. BIOTA I had mixed feelings about. I hate Raine. But drunk!Blaine was hilarious. Brittany threw up on Rachel, which made me happy. Kurt and Blaine should never fight. _Ke Dollar-sign Ha_ FTW. And that is all.**

**NEXT UPDATE: If I don't update by Saturday, this story is on hiatus until I can finish writing at least two chapters. I'm sorry. I'll work really hard to try and write fast. I plan for the next chapter to be very fun. :)**

**Thanks to all those who have boarded the train of reviews so far: _Blueroses57, Juliet Hummel-Anderson, KatieS98, Missbroadwayboundfanfic, SeddieShortBus, Starr. lovesglee, TheJully11, Totallystarstuck, and XxXxCherry KissXxXx._**

**NEXT TIME: **_Road trip! Dalton may not be too far away from McKinley, but it's gonna be a long, painful ride to get to the ball. Meanwhile, the McKinley knights get tipsy in the knight's tavern. Sir Finn does a few things he'll regret, but for now, he's too drunk to really care. And I'm sure we're all tired of seeing Sir Puckerman get pwned... But hey, it's his fault for pissing off a woman bar tender. _

**And it's curtains for this chapter. Don't forget to leave a review! I promise you, the more you review, the faster I update. Great reviews give me a writing high! :D**

**~Mima Roses**


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